Todd Irish Funeral -10/7/21

Todd Irish

10/8/21

Like all of you here, we are still stunned, staggering, and trying to wrap our head around the reality that we are here to mourn the death of Todd Irish. Todd was one of the first people I met and became friends with almost 40 years ago now. He was a great, bright, fun, and yes, a wonderfully quirky guy (and if you don’t think so now, you will after we are done with this service.) Good friends are hard to find and when those friends have been your friend for this long, it is very painful to say good-bye. But I am here today knowing everyone in this room knew Todd. Some of you knew him as a husband, a dad, a brother, an uncle, a cousin, a boss, a classmate, a community leader, a business colleague, a fellow church member and a brother in Christ.

With this in mind, we mourn together. I also hope we can rejoice and affirm the hope that is ours in Jesus Christ. This is the hope that Todd had and has now realized. During our time today we will share some memories and give thanks together for Todd’s life and recall again the confident hope we have as children of God through Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 57:1-2 says,

1 Good people pass away;

the godly often die before their time.

But no one seems to care or wonder why.

No one seems to understand

that God is protecting them from the evil to come.

2 For those who follow godly paths

will rest in peace when they die.

God has His reasons for everything that happens. Let’s take that understanding and turn to the Lord in prayer.

Our Father, we turn to you as the God of comfort and the God who has shown us how to “live even though we did.” We hold to you, and to your promises, today. We confess we are confused about the timing of Todd’s death. We certainly were not even close to ready to say good-bye. However, we know you hold all things in your hand including the day of our birth and the day of our death. We trust you.

Help us now as we celebrate Todd’s live and remind each other of the truth that this life is only a prelude to what is ahead for those who have truly put their faith in Christ.

Scripture (Rick)

Let’s turn to God’s Word for strength and comfort.

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk

through the darkest valley, a

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

Jesus said,

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:1-2)

The Apostle Paul wrote,

5 For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.[a] 4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. (2 Corinthians 5:1-4, NLT)

Finally, we remember these words of Paul,

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Philippians 1.21)

Remembrances (Bruce)

I don’t remember a lot from my early years in La Harpe. The Union Church was small and Todd and Cindy Irish and their daughter Jenny lived directly across the street from the church, and were, as I recall, among the youngest people in the church.

We were invited over to their home one night for dinner and the thing I remember is a strange conversation about whether you needed to wash the bottom of your feet while in the shower or was being in the shower itself sufficient to clean the bottom of your feet. (The strange things we remember . . . I think about this question often while I am in the shower now almost 40 years later . . . and now you will be thinking about it also. When you do I hope it reminds you of Todd).

Little did I know what good and cherished friends these people would become. Todd (as well as Cindy) and I served on many boards together. We visited often in the office for various reasons and I, like most of La Harpe, saw Todd regularly on one of his many trips to the Post Office each day. I always enjoyed visiting with Todd.

As many of you know, Todd, Kevin Beals, Steve Beaver, and I are all the same age, born within weeks of each other. We enjoyed the times we got together to celebrate our birthdays. It is staggering to think two of the four of us are already with the Lord.

All of us have memories with Todd. Kevin Beals remembers taking tap dancing lessons together with Dennis Hartweg, his brother Kris, Todd, and Christy Anders among others. Kevin went to school with Todd from Kindergarten through High School. One night Todd, Kevin, and Dave Clover were spending the night together and decided they would go out for a walk in town around 2:30 in the morning. At that time, there was a bell behind city hall up on a tower (which is now by the firehouse) and they decided they would climb up the tower and ring the bell. Dave and Kevin scurried up and rang the bell and Todd demurred . . . at first. A little while later he decided he wanted to ring the bell also. They returned to the bell, he climbed up and rang it. As they came around the library, Darrell Kraft jumped out of the bushes waving his flash light yelling, “Stop Right There!” (Darrell was the police officer in town at the time). He said he was called because someone was ringing the bell. Since they were violating curfew, Darrell loaded them in the squad car and brought them home and talked to all the parents.

Another time Todd got a new BB gun. He was instructed to NEVER point any kind of gun at another person. One day, playing around, Todd shot someone in the posterior region and Mark (as brothers will do) quickly tattled on his brother. The gun was confiscated. Todd got the gun back 30 years (!!) later, when it was discovered in the back of a closet.

Todd played drums and was a good drummer. He also became a skilled guitar player. Todd loved music and he loved fast cars. Todd was (and remained) a big Beatles fan. He even had the Beatles haircut.

In each of his cars, he always made sure it was equipped with a quality stereo. This way he could enjoy both his music and cars at once. Todd enjoyed going to the dragstrip in Keokuk and Todd and Kevin traveled to the drag races with Paul (PY) and Bev Anderson in Ohio.

Todd liked to hang around with PY who was always teaching Todd about cars. His fascination with cars continued up to his Red Convertible and his Dodge Challenger “Hellcat” and its 700+ horsepower.

When Todd learned his Hellcat was at the dealer, he needed to go get it right away. He called Jerry Burford to get the trailer and come with him. Jerry said, “But it’s snowing outside.” Todd didn’t care. He wanted to get his car. The dealer cleaned up the car for him and Jerry backed the trailer to the door. Todd got in but couldn’t get the car to go into gear. He said, “There are so many gadgets on this car and look something is wrong with it already.” He asked Jerry to try it. It turned out, you had to have the seatbelt fastened to get it into gear. Jerry was going to get out of the car and Todd said, “No, you can be the first to drive it . . . I’d probably hit something anyway!”

Todd and Cindy were friends in High School. They double-dated at least once but they were not dating each other! They liked to spend time together and some people thought of them as a couple. Perhaps even Todd. Cindy thought of Todd as a good friend. She left La Harpe and got married. When she returned, Todd wasn’t going to let her get away again. They were married July 8, 1980.

They were still young. Todd was 25, now married, with a child. It was a bumpy road at times. Jenny would tell you that Todd always loved her as his daughter. He enjoyed being her dad. Like most dads he embarrassed her many times. Jenny knew Todd was going to rally to her side whenever she needed him.

When Lisa was born, Todd was ecstatic. He even hired a limo to drive Lisa and Cindy home from the hospital. When Todd took his walks, he would carry Lisa in one of those baby carriers that allows you to hold your baby at your chest.

Todd was a guy who had a laser sharp focus. That made him good at many things. However, it also created some problems. One time, Todd was in a mall with Cindy and Cindy went off and left Lisa with Todd. Todd was walking at such a rapid pace that Lisa fell behind and eventually lost sight of her dad. When he got out to the car Cindy asked where Lisa was, Todd then noticed she wasn’t there. They raced back into the mall and found Lisa waiting with the security people of the mall.

When going out to eat, Todd always wanted to get there early and usually ended up being one of the first to get there. Often, he would say they could go shopping at ONE store before dinner. After being in the store for 15 minutes he was texting wondering where they were! Several restaurants knew Todd. Some called him by name. One even bought him Christmas presents. The waitresses fought to wait on him because he was a very good tipper.

Once when in Memphis, the family was staying at the Peacock hotel and the fire alarm went off. Everyone was asked to leave the hotel, but Todd wouldn’t leave (he had paid good money for his room). The rest of the family left. Lisa was outside screaming hysterically, “My dad is still in there!”

It was often an adventure when you stayed in a hotel with Todd. For some reason he was cold in a hotel room so he would crank up the heat. This made it insufferable for everyone else. Once in St. Louis, he had the heat so warm it set off the heat sensing fire alarm. Cindy remembers Todd jumping up and down on the bed trying to blow on the smoke alarm to cool it down and stop the alarm!

Todd could be a little obsessive. One of his “spiritual gifts” seemed to be “worrying.” He was always pacing. He would arrive at airports several hours before his flight much to the chagrin of the rest of the family. He would sneak into church at the last minute through the Bell Tower doors and be out those doors before the last chord sounded on the final hymn. (I suspect Todd did not want people to talk to him about their phone, internet or cable problems at church). Todd did this every week. One week, after Todd arrived, I slipped down to the door and locked it just for fun.

Todd loved the walks he was taking recently with Lisa. He told me his body was wearing down a little, but he was not about to give up those precious times with his daughter. There were days Lisa really didn’t want to walk but . . . she knew Todd would keep texting her until she agreed.

He was looking forward to Lisa’s wedding. He really liked Ryan and enjoyed having Landon around. We will be very much aware of his absence on that day. I know Todd was also enjoying planning a family vacation with Jenny. He truly did love the family times together.

Todd went through phases of being devoted to numerous things,

· Weight lifting (he had both a Bowflex and a Soloflex machine at the office) and was fervent until he hurt his shoulder.

· He was into photography and video recording for a while.

· He was an avid Ice Tea drinker for awhile

· He started to drink coffee and dove into the world of gourmet coffees and enjoyed developing a palette that could discern the nuanced flavors.

· He was an avid Guitar player for awhile

· He embraced a weight loss dieting plan. He lost a lot of weight. He was so careful about his diet that one day they had a blood sugar screening at the bank. Todd had been fasting, so he told the rest of the guys in the office he would give them $20.00 if their blood sugar was better than his. It cost him $40.00!

· He had a period where he was an avid gum chewer

· Then there was the period he always had Altoids in his mouth. (Todd would call Daryl and Josiah on the radio and they couldn’t understand him because of the dumb Altoids).

· He has always been an avid walker. Sometimes he would go out walking in the wee hours of the morning. Cindy tried to warn him that people were going to think he was a “creeper” if he kept walking in the middle of the night.

Todd was always proud of the La Harpe phone company, even when he was a kid. It has been part of the family since 1903. Todd was currently President of the company and a member of the Board of Directors for the Illinois Rural Broadband Association. He and his family were always working hard to keep our phone service as good as any in the country. They were not afraid to spend what was necessary. And, there is no place with better customer service anywhere.

Todd and I went to Infobahn Outfitters, which at that time was a new Internet company in Macomb. They were offering a one-night class on the World Wide Web. We had heard of this “web,” but had no idea what it was, or if it could ever be useful. We were introduced to Yahoo and toured the White House online. We went back for a second class on a different subject. On the way home, we enthusiastically marveled at how “cool” the Internet seemed. I asked Todd if we could get the Internet in La Harpe. He determined to make that a goal and the town was soon connected via our individual dialup modems.

People who worked at the phone company say it is like a family. They were well cared for, and Todd was more of a leader, than a boss. He frequently would ask the guys at work, “Could you help me with something over at the house.” It could be something that took a few minutes or a few hours. The guys did their jobs and the “all other duties as assigned.” They love their job and they work together very well.

Todd used to enjoy sitting and visiting with the guys. Somewhere during the day, they would all get laughing. When Todd started laughing, everyone else would start laughing because of him. He laughed hard but didn’t make any noise! Sometimes he would start telling a story and couldn’t finish it because he was laughing so hard.

Todd could be a bit of a prankster. Once he borrowed Mark’s King Kong huge mask. Todd went into the utility room. Then they knocked out the power in the lobby and back room. Chris Little was working. The power went out and Chris went to the utility room to flip the breaker. They figured they would get her good. She opened the door and said simply, “Oh my!” Not quite the response he was hoping for.

Todd had a great (and sneaky) sense of humor. He had a way of saying things that would crack people up. However, when Todd was done visiting with you, he was done (whether you were done or not). He would often “Ghost” the guys at work. One minute he was there, the next minute they had no idea where he was. He would just disappear.

Todd loved Christmas. He was always looking for that “perfect Christmas gift” for each member of the family. It brought him great joy to give gifts. I am sure he enjoyed the anticipation of seeing gifts opened more than he enjoyed his own gifts. He sometimes (oftentimes)went overboard in his generosity. But this was his way of expressing his love for others. He wasn’t always good with saying these things with his words, so he tried to express it with his generosity. The UPS truck and Fed Ex trucks were very familiar with Todd.

One of the things about Todd that I always admired was that even though he had the resources many others did not, there was never an air of superiority or a flaunting of what he had. At times, Todd almost seemed embarrassed by his purchases. I had to coax him to let me see his new garage. He didn’t want to come off as “showy.” The garage is remarkable.

One of the joys of building his new garage was including things that other people could enjoy. He wanted to make it nice for family and future grandchildren. He did this before he even finished his office in the building. He was excited to make this a place for family to gather and have fun. I’m sorry he will not get the chance to enjoy the place he so painstakingly built. But I am sure his family will enjoy it fully for many years to come.

The garage does bring up a funny story that Todd shared himself. When Todd was building his garage, he ordered a refrigerator for the kitchen he put in. He waited for the Fridge to come in. When it arrived, He and Cindy went over to pick it up. They put it in the back of the truck and Todd was sure it was heavy enough he didn’t have to tie it in. He was wrong! He was going up the Burlington Bridge when the Fridge slid out of the truck and bounced around on the road. The refrigerator, the box, cushions, packing and everything was all over the road. The traffic stopped. Todd was horrified. He was sure he was going to be taken to jail.

Just a little behind them was a police car. They saw everything. They came to help as soon as they stopped laughing. They assured him he was not going to jail. Todd gave the damaged fridge away and ordered another. When the new fridge arrived, he sent Daryl and Josiah to retrieve it and sent lots of rope with them.

Todd Irish was one of the most quietly generous men I’ve ever met. We will never know all the ways Todd helped others. He never sought credit. He served his community for 22 years as an alderman. He never turned down the Golden Rule Club when they needed money. He would help families at Christmas, he helped with phone bills and other problems. Todd was always generous toward community events, and generous with the church. He loved to take the whole family on vacation. He believed these times together were important (even though he often drove people nuts with his desire to help them have a good time).

The thing that comforts me today is the fact that I KNOW my friend was a devoted Christian man. In these last few years especially, Todd has really dug deep in his faith. I could tell that he “got it.” He understood his need of a Savior and He knew God had saved Him by His grace. Todd got up early every day to read his Bible. He prayerfully addressed character and interpersonal issues. He strove for consistency in his life and wanted desperately to be a good Christian witness. I have always respected Todd’s integrity. He worshipped with us every week and also attended Sunday School. His faith was genuine. He put his faith into practice every day.

I am deeply saddened for the Irish family, for our community, for the church, for the Kingdom, and for myself personally. I will really miss Todd. But I know he is where he ultimately wanted to be. And I would not be at all surprised if Todd’s spirit was caught and taken to the Lord long before his body ever hit the ground. I imagine Todd opening his eyes and seeing the smile of the one who has loved him since before the creation of the world. And at that moment I know he felt like the richest and most blessed there could ever be. I look forward to the day when I can see him again.

[Song]

Message (Rick)

This morning we have shared a lot of stories about Todd Irish. Todd was a good man, a good friend, father, husband, boss, church member, and community leader. We have also talked about our confidence that Todd is now in heaven. But I want to make sure that everyone understands the reason we have this confidence today.

Many people labor under the false impression that the determining factor in where a person goes when they die is whether or not they are a good person. We all define that in different ways, but one thing is pretty consistent—most of us think that we are pretty decent people most of the time. As such, if you ask most people if they know where they are going when they die, they will say, “I hope so, I’ve tried to be a pretty good person.” Here’s the problem, the Bible says we can’t be good enough to earn our way to heaven.

In the Bible, the apostle Paul says this,

No one is righteous— not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12, NLT)

Just a few verses later, Paul tells us,

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. (Romans 3:23, NLT)

What the bible teaches is very clear—none of us deserves to go to heaven when we die. The reason is pretty simple. God requires perfection, and that ship has long since sailed for every single person on the earth. Most of us still believe, however, that we are still pretty good people. We admit that we occasionally mess up, but there are still people who are far worse than us. But that is our problem, we compare ourselves to other people who are flawed, and not to God. God is perfect, and we simply don’t measure up.

Imagine for a moment that you were an exceptionally good person, who managed to do the right thing almost all the time. Suppose you only sinned 3 times a day. That would be an exceptional day for most people, but suppose you were able to keep that up for the rest of your life. Even with only sinning 3 times a day, by the end of one year you would have sinned over 1,000 times! And after 40 years, you’d have a record of 40,000 times you had failed to keep God’s commands. And that’s for someone we would call an exceptionally good person.

When the bible tells us that everyone falls short of God’s standard, it’s an understatement. We aren’t even close to keeping God’s perfect standard. Sometimes people think that doing good things will balance out the bad things we’ve done. But that’s not how it works. It’s kind of like accruing credit card debt. Each time you use the card, you add to your debt. Doing what God has told us to do is kind of like choosing not to spend more money on your credit card. It’s good that you aren’t adding to the debt, but your debt doesn’t decrease just because you stop spending the money! When we do what God commands, we’re not erasing our sinful actions, we’re just not adding to the debt we’ve accrued!

So the issue remains: no one deserves to go to heaven when they die. Even though by our standards, we would say Todd was a good man, he (like every one of us) still fell far short of God’s standard. So what gives us confidence today that Todd Irish is in heaven?

Dad mentioned that Todd had been a member of the Union Church for a long time, but a few years ago, it seemed like something changed in Todd and he really seemed to “get it.” What he meant by that is that it seemed Todd really came to understand that He could not be saved by going to church or by doing good things. He came to understand that there is only one thing that can fix our sin problem—and that is Jesus Christ.

Again, the apostle Paul tells us this,

For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. (Romans 3:25, NLT)

Later, Paul says this as well,

13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, NLT)

The only hope any person has is to trust in what Jesus Christ did for us at the cross of Calvary. Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection three days later accomplished something incredibly significant. Jesus lived the perfect life we could not live and then allowed himself to be crucified and take on the punishment for sin that we had earned. Jesus alone makes it possible for us to be forgiven. He promises that if we believe in and trust in what He has done rather than what we can do, then we will receive the forgiveness He made possible.

This is what I believe Todd had come to understand. Todd understood that he had failed God and deserved to be utterly abandoned by Him. But he also understood that Jesus extended love and grace to us by providing a way to be forgiven for that sin and making it possible for us to spend eternity in heaven. He understood that no amount of good deeds could earn him a place in heaven; only trusting in Jesus could secure his eternity.

It is because I am confident that Todd had placed his trust in Jesus alone that today I am confident that Todd Irish is in heaven. Especially in these later years, I believe many of the good and admirable things Todd did (even the many things nobody ever knew about) were not Todd’s attempt to earn his salvation. Rather, they were an attempt to honor the One who had saved him.

This is the hope I hold out to you today. Death is not the end of the story. Jesus’ death and resurrection definitively proves that there is life beyond the grave. Jesus also promises us that we can live forever with Him in heaven if we will trust in what He has done for us and follow Him with our lives. Our belief that Todd is in heaven today is not merely wishful thinking. It’s not something we tell ourselves to make us feel better. It is a settled belief based on mountains of evidence and our own personal experiences.

It is easy to dismiss “religious stuff” as unimportant. People have lots of reasons for doing that. Maybe you have been hurt by people who called themselves Christians in the past. Maybe you don’t like what the Bible teaches. Maybe you just have a hard time believing there is a God at all. But as we stand face to face with the death of someone we love and respect, we should also be struck by the fact that it doesn’t matter what we think about religious stuff or how it makes us feel. The question is whether it is true.

If it is (and I believe wholeheartedly that it is), then today we do not need to grieve for Todd Irish, because we know where he is. Our grief is real, but we grieve for our loss, not for his. But if everything I have told you today is true, it also reminds us that each of us must decide what we will do about Jesus. We must decide for ourselves whether we will trust Him and follow Him, or whether we will reject Him. Those are really the only two options. There is no middle ground. I know where Todd Irish stood. I hope you will decide today where you stand as well. Today we are reminded that this is not just a theoretical or philosophical discussion. It is one that is immensely practical.

Todd was passionate about a lot of different things. He’d happily talk to you about any one of his passions. But I am firmly convinced that if I asked Todd what he would want me to share at his funeral, he wouldn’t say he wanted me to talk about his passion for cars, fitness, guitars, or even his family. I believe Todd would have asked me to share with you the source of peace and confidence he had—and that is found only through Jesus Christ.

As you leave this place today, I hope you walk out with two very comforting truths. First, death is not the end of the story for Todd Irish. I believe that today Todd is more alive than he has ever been before. This is not because of who Todd was, but because of who Todd trusted. Because of Todd’s faith in Jesus, he lives, even though he has died.

Second, is that you will find comfort in knowing that you can have the same confidence Todd did. But it means that you must trust in the savior that Todd trusted. You have to turn to Jesus. It’s your only hope. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. You never know when you will take your last breath. So I hope you will consider what Jesus has done for you today and decide where you stand, so you can be certain that when your time is up, you can face the end of your life on this earth with confidence as well.

I don’t have answers to a lot of the questions we have today. I don’t know why this happened. I don’t know what God is doing behind the scenes. I don’t know what the future holds. But I do know this: we have hope today, even as we grieve. We have hope because Jesus has made a way for us to be forgiven. And today I have a confident hope that Todd is in heaven, because he trusted in Jesus. Today he has experienced the forgiveness Jesus has promised to all who follow Him. And I look forward to the day I will see him again. I hope you will be able to have that same hope and assurance in your life as well.

Conclusion (Bruce)

Let me conclude with 14 lessons from Todd’s life. If you think hard I am sure you can come up with many more.

1. It doesn’t matter how many times you check your mail each day, they still only deliver it once.

2. People love to follow a leader who actually leads; they resist those who merely make demands from their desk.

3. If the heat in your room sets off the fire detector, it is too hot in your room!

4. If you get a second chance to get the girl . . . don’t blow it!

5. When you walk with little children, you have to adapt your pace to them; they cannot and will not adjust to you.

6. Sometimes, the best gift we can give to another is our encouragement, appreciation, example, and expressions of love. These are things money cannot buy.

7. Often, it is worth the few extra dollars to have your appliances delivered.

8. When the fire alarm goes off in a hotel . . . get out!

9. No matter how much we have been given in life; it has all been given to us by God so we can bless and enrich others and bring honor and glory to Him.

10. Early morning walks and Bible Study in the stillness of the hour are priceless.

11. It is foolish to put off having some fun during the days of your life, you never know how much of your life you have left to live.

12. Family is a treasure money cannot buy.

13. A line of UPS and FedEx trucks cannot bring the joy that equals a generous heart.

14. The greatest thing you can do to prepare your family for the future, is to get your own heart right with Christ by letting His grace save and transform you. And the second greatest thing is to let your family know you have done so.

[Prayer]

May God’s grace fill you with His comfort, may His promises help you to see beyond the pain. And may the Holy Spirit lead you the rest of the way home to Heaven.